Characteristics of Millennials: The Give It to Me Now Generation

Millennials have been given instant gratification without responsibility. These 35 characteristics of Millennials pretty much sum them up.

Millennials are those born between 1982 to 2002. A twenty-year span, the Millennial generation is different from any other that came before. There are certain undeniable characteristics of Millennials that set them apart from other generations.

35 things that define the Millennial generation

With reason, the first generation to grow up on the internet, there are characteristics of Millennials that both irritate and inspire us. If you are a Millennial, don’t take offense, you are a product of your upbringing and society.

#1 They act like spoiled brats if they don’t get what they want. Why wouldn’t they? From the moment they were born they have been doted over and told how awesome they are!

#2 They think they should start with the corner office. Because they have been told how amazing they are, they naturally should just start at the top.

#3 Manual labor of any kind is way beneath them. That is for people who are insignificant, not someone born in the Millennial era!

#4 Everyone gives a shit about their status on social media sites. Everything they do is important and everyone cares. Sorry, we really don’t.

#5 Things should just be handed to them. Entitlement is the cornerstone of the Millennial generation. They deserve respect and good things without ever earning them.

#6 Nothing is ever their fault, like ever. Nothing is ever a Millennial’s fault. If it isn’t their mother’s fault, it is their boss, the kid next door, or the teacher. We conditioned them that they can’t possibly be wrong about anything.

#7 They think they know everything, and it is a wonder how we all survived before they came to show us the light. They are the smartest generation in history hands down, in their own heads!

#8 They don’t earn anything, they should get credit for just showing up. Well they got a trophy for showing up, or not, so why would they possibly work for it when it comes for free?

#9 Everything is offensive to them, like everything! Point out anything about them, like anything, and you either label, stereotype, or bully. Just hush and keep it to yourself.

#10 They think the world should be fair… hello? The world is fair in their eyes ‘cause they always got what they wanted or someone took someone else’s and gave it to them. Equal all the way, baby.

#11 They name and label everything. They label everything: cushioning, Chad Thundercock, ghosting, it never ends. News flash, things have been around forever, we just didn’t feel the need to label and give everything a name.

#12 Their biggest problem is which selfie to post for the day. Since everyone cleans up after them, all they must focus on is which selfie to post for the day.

#13 They don’t ever clean up after themselves physically or metaphorically. That is someone else’s problem, not mine!

#14 They have no command of the English language and shorten things as if writing the entire word is such a hardship. God help communication going forward or the English language. The dumbing down of society is in full swing.

#15 They spend more time creating a social media persona than caring about their real one. They care more about what their social media persona is like than what is inside their soul.

#16 They hang out with each other, but really all they do is sit next to each other with cell phones in hand. No communication skills whatever, there is always something better to do than waste time chit chatting.

#17 They think a hard day’s work is for suckers. They always spend the majority of their time figuring out how to get out of doing something instead of just doing it and getting it out of the way and over with. A whole lot of wasted energy, guys!

#18 They wait for the lottery to cash in. No climbing my way to the top. Since they started at the top of the family food chain, the same should be true of their social and work status.

#19 They believe in causes that aren’t real because someone told them so and didn’t take the time or care enough to figure out what is real. They love a cause because it allows them to post to social media. They might even get a super cute t-shirt out of it.

#20 They don’t even know what the word objective means. It is all about what they think. They create their own reality but not with anything objective or real.

#21 They have an overinflated sense of self. That’s what happens when everyone tells you how special you are all the time.

#22 They have no social graces or respect for their elders, authority, or anyone, really. In my day, you called an adult with a label like Mr. or Mrs. The Millennials never learned the difference between authority because they ran around calling adults by their first name like they were on the same level.

#23 Equality means no one is supposed to compete. Competition is bullying and leaves people out. Making money is bad because there are some who don’t have it. Never give someone a poor grade, it makes them feel bad.

#24 They believe that things like gender, debt, and kindness are all optional. You aren’t going to label a Millennial by things like genetics or gender!

#25 They aren’t interested in hearing anything you have to say unless it is in their favor. They have an uncanny ability to shut anyone off if they don’t agree and go to great lengths to do so.

#26 They have no idea what it is like to wait for anything. Instant gratification is what it is all about.

#27 Since they had everything handed to them, they have no idea what it is like to “earn” something. Their first car waited in the driveway on their sixteenth birthday, and they registered for their birthday gifts, need I say more?

#28 They believe everything traditionally male like competition, aggression, and getting ahead are all bad and “immoral” things. Anything that takes away their feelings of superiority are bad.

#29 They hate conservative ideology, but they have no idea what it even is. Conservatives are evil villains trying to take everyone’s free stuff.

#30 They think if you have any opinion opposite of theirs, you’re mean or not respecting their rights. If you disagree with them, then you are mean and not caring about their feelings.

#31 They have a right to everything. Seriously, like everything, just because they are them.

#32 They are creative and imaginative, they just don’t use it to get anywhere. They are highly imaginative and creative. Instead of opening up their own company, they would rather spend their talents making cool posts for social media.

#33 Working is a waste of time for them. Posting to social media? Totally worth it.

#34 They behave like babies when they don’t get what they want. Temper tantrums weren’t squashed in the Millennial generation. Things were “reasoned through” so that they understood why their parents did what they did. But, the problem was that parents didn’t ever reason through things because they never said no.

#35 Stereotypes of ANY kind limit and label. Stereotypes exist for a reason and are typically true and real. They aren’t to limit people. They are a survival skill that helps the human race create predictability in a random world. Get over it!

Millennials are the first generation not to have to wait for or want for anything. Unlike the generations before who went to the library to use the Dewey decimal system, wait for the paper to come every morning, or save up money to get what they wanted instead of charging it on Amazon, you can’t really blame them for thinking that the world revolves around them.

Hopefully, when they have children of their own, they will grow up and realize that they aren’t the only ones on earth. It is going to be a super hard reality for them when Mommy and Daddy finally say no, and they are left to pay their own taxes, get health insurance, and pay for their own cell phone. But, as a Generation Xer, the older generations have no one to blame but themselves. Well, and Al Gore who “invented” the internet.

The most entitled generation in recorded history, at some point, they are going to have to step up to the plate and put someone before themselves, or the species just might not survive because of these characteristics of Millennials.